Margaret adores many of the Japanese items, but the bronze snail with a tiny snail on his/her back is probably her favourite. Snails are often viewed as unattractive, slimy things whose bodies excrete mucus, but this one is absolutely a thing of beauty and so tactile, if only she could touch it. The horns (tentacles) are all extended and it looks as if it is in full flow.
This snail is a Japanese Okimono, or 'ornament for display' and is an example of the types of pieces produced by craftsmen in Japan during the Edo period. The unprecedented peace and prosperity of the Edo in Japan prompted an increase in artistic, cultural and social development. Japanese craftsmen (shokunin) worked in the flourishing towns and cities, which developed distinctive styles, such as those of Kyoto, Osaka and Edo (modern Tokyo).
This particular piece was collected by Henry Marsham (1845-1908), a son of the third Earl of Romney of Mote House, Maidstone, who retired from the army in 1874 to combine business interests in England with travel throughout the Far East.
Marsham's Japanese collection was first displayed on loan at Maidstone Museum in 1882. Over the next 25 years he sent back consignments of objects cased in their original bamboo boxes for display.He settled in Japan in 1905, and for the next three years continued to purchase a large quantity of ceramics and decorative items.
On his death in 1908, the entire ceramic collection, extensive library and contemporary photographs of his travels in Japan were bequeathed to the Museum.
Accession number: MNEMG 124.1979.41
